Method of setting turbine-blades



G. V. SULLIVAN. METHOD OF SETTING TURBINE BLADES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, I9I8- 1,371,768. Patented Mar. 15,- 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

nw/mron .Ionms PETERS. INC; L |THO.. WASHINGTON. D. cv

G. v. SULLIVAN. METHOD OF SETTING TURBINE BLADES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1918.

1,371,768, Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

INVENTOR A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILES VALINTINE SULLIVAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO BETHLEHEM SHIPBUILDING CORPORATION, LTD., OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

METHOD OF SETTING TURBINEBLADES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 1 15 1921 Application filed November 8, 1918. Serial No. 261,626.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GlLns VALINTINE SULLIVAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of balifornia, have invented a new and useful Method of Setting Turbine- Blades, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a novel method of setting turbine blades with respect to a turbine disk.

It further consists in carrying out my novel method in a machine having means for rotatably supporting the turbine disk, in conjunction with means for rotating said disk and its adjuncts in a desired direction during the setting of the blades, means being provided for reversing the direction of rotation of the disk so as to set the blades on an opposite portion thereof, whereby time and labor are-reduced to a minimum and the blades are all evenly and accurately set and assembled in a much more .expeditious and effective manner than is possible where the blades have been inserted and calked in place by hand.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, Ihave shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described except as required by the scope of the appended claim.

Figure 1 represents a front elevatlon of a machine for setting turbine blades wherein my novel method may be carried out, showing also an end elevation of a turbine disk and blades thereon.

Fig. 2 represents an end view or right hand elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 through the outer periphery of the turbine disk, showing a plan view of a portion of a turbine blade.

Fig. 4 represents a perspective detail of the jaw tool, tool post and their adjuncts.

Flg. 5 represents a perspective view showing the manner of initially inserting a turbine'blade in position. 7

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts. 1

Referring to the drawings 1 designates the housing or frame-work of, my novel machine for setting turbine blades, which in the present instance is shown as being built up out of the head of a Gisholt lathe changed to suit the conditions and requirements hereinafter referred to.

2 designates the shaft of the lathe head 3, which is provided with a chuck 4, which may be of any suitable or conventional type, as will be imderstood from Fig. 2, said shaft 2 being mounted in suitable bearings on said frame-work or housing.

5 designates an electric or other prime motor, which is reversible, whereby the shaft 6, which is mounted in suitable bearings, may be rotated at will in either direction, said shaft carrying the worm 7, which is in mesh with the worm gear 8, which I have shown as being fitted on or attached to one of the stepped cones 9,"it being understood that said worm gear 8, cone9 and shaft 2 rotate in unison, 10 designating the smaller member of thecon'e surface of the lathe converted into my invention. 7

I have deemed it unnecessary to show or describe the manner of reversing the motor, as any suitable type of reversible motor or reversing mechanism therefor may be employed.

11 designates a pinion mounted on the shaft 2, so as to rotate in unison therewith, said pinion 11 meshing with the gear 12, which is mounted on the shaft 13, which revolves in suitable bearings 14:.

' 15 designates a pinion mounted on the shaft 13 and in mesh with the gear 16, which is mounted on the shaft 2. 17 designates a standard having on its upper portion 18 a slotted jaw tool or abutment 19, whose construction will be'understood from the perspective view in Fig. 1, said jaw tool 19 being clamped in position by any suitable means, as will be understood from said figure, and being capable of being moved toward or away from the turbine disk, so as "to accommodate disks of varying diameters.

20 designates the turbine disk to be bladed, which comprises a suitable web or body portion having a peripheral. head or rim 21, whose contour in cross-section will be best understood from Figs. 3 and 5, said head or rim being shown as a polygonal enlargement extending peripherally around the turbine disk body, and having as at the points 22 in its circumference, radial cut away portions in the periphery of the head 21, which are cut down flush with each side of said web 01' body portion, as best seen. in Fig. 5. i V

23 designates the turbine blades, which may be of the usual form and character, each.

being provided with a base portion 24, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5, and each of said base portions having a slot therein formed by the walls 25 and 26, which conform tothe contour of the peripheral rim or head 21, the rear wall of said slot being open, as indicated at 27.

The method of setting the turbine blades on a turbine disk is as follows The turbine disk having been suitably centeredin the jaws 28 of the chuck i, seen in Fig. 2, the turbine blades are slipped on the turbine disk through the slots 22 seen in Figs. 2 and 5, which slots at the time of the introduction of a blade 23 may be located for instance either above the abutment or j aw tool 19 as at the point A-A above the jaw tool or below said jaw tool, as at about the point 13-13. A light tap of a han'imer starts the blade on the rim 21 of the disk,

then the motor 5 is started, and by the revolution of the disk .20, the blade is brought into contact with the jaw tool on the tool post. l/Vhen the parts are in the position seen in Fig. 2, assuming that a turbine blade has been placed in. position in the slot when it was above the jaw tool 19, it will be understood,assuming the rotation of the turbine blade to. be in the direction of the arrow a, that the blade 23 has come to rest against the top of the abutment 19 and that the rotation of the turbine blade will con tinue until said turbine blade 23 seen immediately above the jaw tool 19 is contiguous to the wall 29 of'the turbine blade 23 seen at the right of Fig. 2. p The motor is stopped at this point and its direction of rotation is now reversed, whereupon the turbine blade 23 seen at thelower left-hand portion of Fig. 2, having been placed in the position seen, will abut against the bottom of the jaw tool 19 and the rotation of the turbine disk 20 in a direction opposite to the arrow (.1, will bring the wall 30 of saidturbine blade 23 seen at the left of Fig. 2 below the jaw tool against the wall 31 of the turbine blade 23 seen at the right of Fig. 2.

The operation is thus repeated, the direc tion of the rotation of the motor being alternately reversed until the disk has been completely bladed.

It will be seen from the foregoing that after the application of the first blade and the securing of it in place upon the rim of the turbine disk,-the operation of applying additional blades is continuous, until the total which the disk will carry has been applied. The entire operation or method is one of the application ofblades and the alternate reversal of the turbine disk, the reversal becoming gradually less in circumferential extent in both directions, until the disk is bladed, the blades contacting with each other in the sequence of theirapplication.

The first blade applied .to the rim can be secured in position inany approved or desired manner, and the last blade occupying the space in proximity to the recesses 22 can also be secured in position and said recesses plugged up, if desired, in any suitable manner.

It will be understood that the contour of the slot l9 'in the aw tool 19 can be Varied, if desired, and said jaw tool can be moved toward or away from the chuck 4 by loosening the bolts 28 and the clamping plate 29, thereby permitting the shifting of said jaw tool, or if desired, the tool post 17 and its adjuncts can be shifted to accommodate turbine disks of different diameters.

By my novel methocLof setting turbine blades, it will be apparent that a blade is set duringeach partial rotation of the turbine disk in either direction, so that time and labor are economized and all the turbine blades are evenly set with respect to the turbine disk, so that no subsequent rectifying of the blades is necessary, which rectifying is'necessary wherethe turbine blades have been inserted and .calked by hand.

It will be understood that all. the turbine blades, as 23, 23 23", 23 and 23 are identical, and that I have used the different designations therefor, for the purpose of clearly explainin the operations referred to.

\Vhile %have shown but one type of turbine disk having a rim of theconfiguration and contour of the slot in the coactingturbine blades seen in Figs. 3 and 5, it will be evident that the broad principle of my method and invention is equally, applicable to turbine disks having rims of different contour and turbine blades differently slotted from the construction shown.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a new and useful method for setting turbine blades which embodiesithe features of advantage enumerated as desirable'in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have, in the present v instance shOWn and described a preferred embodiment thereof which will be found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The herein described method of blading a turbine disk, which consists in interlocking a turbine blade with the rim of a turbine disk, next rotating said disk and arresting the movement of said blade with respect to said disk, next interlocking another turbine blade with said rim, and lastly rotating said disk in a reverse direction and arresting the movement of said last mentioned blade with respect to said disk.

GILES VALlNTINE SULLIVAN. Witnesses:

MAURICE ASHER, F. C. KOBELY. 

